The Rise of Primis
by ClassifiedMc
Summary: With the cycle behind them, Primis hoped to finally go back home, and to the lives they left behind. However, things have changed. Now, suck in an unknown world and scattered, they must all try to survive. But against the Waves of Catastrophe, surviving alone won't save them. Rated T due to blood and language
1. Prologue

The four men walked into the underground lab, their eyes scanning the room. Their chainmail armor was under a cloth tunic, with a symbol of a red and white circle or sun. Their hands were covered in brown leather gauntlets. .

"You sure about this, Richthofen?" One man asked, with an American accent. He was a Caucasian, with light brown hair and a moustache. His face, besides some dirt and dried blood, was clean of any scars.

"Yes, Dempsey. This will allow us to finally live a normal life. We just have one more loose end to tie up," answered the leader of the group, a German accent being present in his voice. He was of Caucasian descent, and his hair was black, with a small moustache. He had a large scar on his right cheek, alongside some dried blood and dirt. His eyes were blue.

"Whatever you say, German. I have my eye on you," a third man said, a deep Russian accent was in his voice. He was a Caucasian as well and also had blue eyes, with a brown, thick goatee and moustache. On his head was a narrown haircut.

"Do not worry, Nikolai. While Richtofen has lied in the past, it was only to get us to do what must be done. Ever since the start of the Second Great War, he has told the truth," responded the final man, with a Japanese accent. He was of an Asian descent, and he had black hair that was tied in a bun. He had a small beard and a moustache. He had brown eyes.

"I know, Takeo, I know," the Russian, Nikolai, responded. The German, Richtofen, walked around the lab, looking for one of his inventions. The other three looked around, keeping an eye on the entrance.

"Hey, Richtofen," the American, Dempsey, called out. "I found one of your books," he walked over, carrying a large leather book, "this looks like that evil book thing. You make a copy of it?"

"Let me see," Richtofen said. As he looked at the book, his eyes narrowed. "'The Records of the Four Cardinal Heroes'? This isn't like the Kronorium. I don't even remember obtaining this. I suppose one of you could read it, while I look for the device," He said, before looking at the other two. "Takeo, if you would be so kind," the German said, handing the book to the Asian. He looked at the title, his eyes narrowing.

"I am surprised that you were able to read the title. I was not aware you could read Japanese so fluently," Takeo said offhandedly.

"What do you mean, Takeo? It's in German," Richtofen responded, walking over to his Japanese friend.

"Let me take a look at this," Dempsey said, looking over the two's shoulders. "Well, Doc, looks like you're both wrong. It's clearly in English," he responded.

"That doesn't seem possible. Hey, Nikolai!" Richtofen called out. The Russian peaked his head around a corner. "Tell me, what language is the title of this book in?" The German asked, handing the book over. The Russian looked at the title, before handing it back.

"It's in my mother tongue. What is the meaning of this?" Nikolai asked.

"I do not know, my Russian friend. I believe the book itself might hold the answer," Richtofen answered.

"Well, let's crack her open," Dempsey responded.

"Wait, shouldn't we look for this device Richtofen mentioned?" Nikolai asked.

"It will be fine. At worst, it will be a slight diversion," Richtofen responded, before opening the book. "In a world that is ravaged by the Waves of Catastrophe, four heroes are summoned. Each wielding a Legendary Cardinal weapon. A sword, a bow, a spear, and a shield,'" Richtofen began.

"Wait, a shield? Is that his weapon?" Dempsey asked.

"Quiet, Dempsey!" Richtofen said. "Now then," as Richtofen turned the page, he froze.

"What is it, Richtofen?" Takeo asked, looking over the shoulder of the German. "What, what is the meaning of this?" The other two looked at the page Richtofen was stuck on.

"No way."

"This, this must be a mistake."

The book showed four heroes, standing on a hill, surrounded by cheering knights. Each wore chainmail armor, with a symbol on their chest. In each of their hands was a large staff. In each corner of the drawing was a face. The four looked in shock, as they saw themselves from the Great War. They saw their title.

Primis.

"How?" Nikolai asked, breathless.

"I wish I knew," Richtofen asked.

"W-well, it could just be a placeholder for the heroes," Dempsey said, not believing a word he said.

"I suppose we can find out," Takeo said, his voice uncertain. He took the book from Richtofen, who gave it up without a fight. "'However, if the world ends up in true peril, then four other heroes will be called upon before the arrival of the Four Cardinal Heroes. Each of them wielding an Elemental Staff. They will assist the Cardinal Heroes in combating the Waves of Catastrophe.'" An alarm suddenly began to ring out.

"What the hell is that, Richtofen?" Dempsey asked.

"That would be the alarm indicating Interdimensional travel," Richtofen answered, his voice shaking.

"So, someone is coming here?" Nikolai asked.

"No," Richtofen responded. The book suddenly began to spark with electricity. Wind began to roar around the four. "We're leaving!" Richtofen yelled, as he tried to leave the laboratory. A bolt of lightning stopped him in his tracks.

The four noticed something glow in each of their pockets. They reached into it, and pulled out a glowing crystal. Dempsey's crystal was glowing purple. Nikolai's was red. Takeo had a blue crystal. Finally, Richtofen's crystal was glowing green.

"Why are they-" Richtofen began to ask, before he was cut off by the book. A sudden bright light flashed from it, enveloping the four. When it receded, the four knights of the Great War were gone.

**Hey everyone. I'm back. For those who are wondering, yes, I deleted my old stories. I didn't have any motivation to continue them. Anyways, if you have any suggestions about this story, let me know. Thanks for reading, and I will see you next time.**


	2. The Soldier Who Knows No Fear

**Hello, and welcome back to The Rise of Primis. The reason I decided to upload it so quickly is due to the traffic this has been getting. More plans on how the update ****schedule**** will be at the end of the chapter.**

**Obviously, I don't own Rising of the Shield Hero, or Call of Duty.**

Dempsey's eyes opened shortly after the flash went away. His head hurt, and his vision was blurred.

"Hello? Anybody?" He called out. Nothing. As his vision restored itself, he noted he was in some kind of small shack. He could see light through cracks in the door, but not much. His hand hit a metal shaft, and he looked at it.

It had a brass shaft, with a head in the shape of a crescent. A trigger was located on the bottom of the staff, with a crank located on the side. A group of metal pieces facing away from the staff were located on the opposite end of the head. Inside of the crescent, and connected to the shaft of the staff, was a purple crystal.

"This, this can't be happening. Why is it back in the staff? I thought Richtofen removed the crystals," Dempsey muttered to himself. He looked at the design again. "Wait, this isn't the staff I used in the Great War. It's the copy from France! But it's back in its base form," Dempsey commented, noting the lack of blades on the staff head.

A loud scream cut off Dempsey from his thoughts. He shot up, and looked at the door to the shack. Gripping the staff tightly, he kicked the door open. The first thing he noticed was the sky. It was a swirl of colors, with the backdrop being red. There looked to be multiple portals, which looked to be causing a lot of things to come from it.

Looking forward, the American noticed he was in some kind of village. The buildings reminded him of something out of the Medieval era. Most of the buildings were on fire, but they still stood tall. However, what caught Dempsey's eye was the source of the scream he heard earlier. It looked to be a kid, with long, black hair. They were on the ground, while a figure in armor raised a sword, aimed to strike the child.

Raising his staff, Dempsey pulled the trigger. A bolt of purple lightning came from the head of the staff and striked the armored figure on the side. It convulsed with electricity, as Dempsey ran towards it. It stopped shaking, and changed its focus to the staff wielder.

As the American looked at the figure, he felt a sense of familiarity. It had rotted skin, but what striked Dempsey the most was its eyes. Or lack thereof. In place of it, was two hollowed out holes, with red lights taking its place.

"Alright, freakbag! Bring it!" He called out, swinging his staff. It striked the armored zombie in the head. He followed up with a second strike to the arm, knocking it off. He swung one more time, with this hit sending the head flying.

As Dempsey watched the headless corpse fall over, he noted that there were a lot of undead. At least twenty. He looked back to the child. It was a young girl, with dark brown eyes. She was wearing a brown dress. Luckily, she seemed unharmed. What caught his eye the most was the black cat-like ears on his head.

He shrugged it off. 'If I ended up in another dimension, then I guess it's no surprise the locals look different. Hell, there's apparently a place where everyone only has one arm. I should focus on these freaks,' He thought, before looking at the kid again. She looked scared, yet a glimmer of hope shined in her eyes.

"Hey, kid," Dempsey said, catching the girl off guard. "Look, do you know of a safe place to hide?" He asked her. She nodded her head, indicating a yes. "Alright. I need you to be brave," he said, kneeling down to her level, "Do you think you can lead other people to it? I have to go and find a way to stop this before it gets worse," he asked. He hated the idea of sending a kid into a warzone, but it was his only shot of getting civies out of the battlefield.

"I-I can try," she answered sheepishly.

"Thanks. I'm counting on you," he told her, before standing and turning to enter the deeper part of the town.

"W-wait," she called out. "Wh-who are you?" She asked. He turned around.

"I'm 'Tank' Dempsey, these freaks worst nightmare!" He told her, before sprinting into the town, staff at the ready.

* * *

There were a lot more than twenty.

Dempsey had managed to get most of the attention off of the civilians. Currently, he was leading the horde he had on his tail through the village, firing his Lightning Staff whenever he could. From what he could tell, they could survive one shot from it, but two would be enough to put them down. When it wouldn't fire, he would work the crank to "reload" the weapon.

"God, why can't they just give up?" He asked himself. Rounding a corner, Dempsey saw an extremely large three headed dog with dark fur eating a pile of corpses. They were near a cliffside, so he had no choice but to go to the monster.

It turned to face Dempsey, red eyes glowed when it saw him. Tightening his grip on the staff, Dempsey charged, firing it as he approached. It went to pounce on Dempsey, but he rolled under it.

'This thing's taking a lot more punishment than the other freakbags. Maybe it's the head honcho,' the soldier thought, as he focused his fire on the Cerberus. It howled, as it moved to bite Dempsey's head off.

Luckily, he blocked the bite from the middle head with his staff. The other two heads moved to attack the American, but he let go of the staff and jumped back. Quickly thinking, he threw a quick punch aimed at the dog's right head. He expected it to not do much, and only serve as a way to distract it, so he could get his weapon back.

However, that wasn't the case. A loud bang came out when he striked the dog, sending it back about fifteen feet. It dropped the staff. As Dempsey looked back at his fist, he noticed a white glowing aura coming from it. Refocusing on the fight, and regaining his staff, Dempsey saw the horde of roughly twenty five zombies move closer. He almost forgot about them. He quickly put the staff on his back

Delivering a quick punch to the jaw, he sent a zombie flying. He quickly striked them, each punch able to deal significant damage to the undead. The American kept an eye on the Cerberus, avoiding it when it tried to go for the kill. As he cleared out the horde, he felt his fist ache.

'l worry about it later. I should be able to put that dog down like a… well, like a dog now. The horde looks to be backing off, now. As long as I keep an eye out, I should be fine,' Dempsey thought, taking out his staff and firing a lighting blast at the hound.

Dempsey quickly fired off more bolts, focusing his fire on the middle head. As the beast roared and moved to take down the American. He sidestepped, before pulling the trigger to shoot the staff. Nothing. He worked the crank, but it didn't fix the issue.

"Out of ammo?" He asked, before getting knocked to the ground by the dog. It moved to take a bite from Dempsey, but the soldier punched it away. He let the staff fall to the ground.

The Devil Dogs rushed each other. As the two were about to collide, the American delivered a haymaker, knocking the dog back. He quickly followed up, delivering a right hook to the middle head. He heard a bone crack, as he switched to the left head. Ducking from a bite, he punched it in the throat, dealing an incredible amount of damage to the hound.

Keeping with the momentum, he slammed his fist into the left head. Seeing as how it was out of commission, due to a broken neck, Dempsey switched from the left head to the right. It moved to bite him, in a desperate attempt to shake off its attacker. He dodged the bite aimed for his head, but it caught him in the left hand.

"Goddammit! Let go, Fido!" Dempsey yelled, prying the mouth open and allowing his hand to slip free. He punched the Cerberus away, before looking at his hand. It was still attached, thankfully, but using it wouldn't be smart. Luckily, it was his off hand, so he should be able to put the dog down. It looked to still be recovering from the fight.

Delivering a powerful strike to the chin, he sent the dog into the air. When it landed, he ran to it and kicked the head, keeping it from moving or attacking. He stomped the neck of the remaining head, not stopping until he heard its windpipe collapse.

As he watched the life leave it, the American saw the red sky recede into itself, bringing back the light blue of midday. He collapsed onto the ground, his muscles screaming for him to take a break. It's been a long time since the Marine has felt this tired. Hearing footsteps, he quickly shot up and turned to it. He saw the young girl, followed by about 8 people, varying in age groups and levels of wounds. They were dressed in regular clothes, relative to the Medieval time era he found himself in, but each of them had an animalistic trait to them.

"Young knight, you saved our village. How can we ever repay our debt to you?" One of the villagers told him, stepping forward. He was an older man, with grayed hair and a beard. He was wearing ripped robes, with a hood over his head. He must be the elder of this village.

Dempsey thought. He could ask for money, women, or supplies and leave. He looked around. Their home was in shambles. The dead laid on the dirt. They didn't look to be good friends with hard work. They wouldn't last for much longer.

He sighed, catching the elder's attention. "I can't take what you have left in good faith," Dempsey admitted.

"Why thank you, brave kni-"

"But that doesn't mean I don't want anything." the survivors looked to the veteran with shock. "Don't worry, I want something small. All I want is to stay here for free and to help with the reconstruction," he finished.

The survivors looked, with a mix of shock, hope, and confusion. Why was this human wanting to help for free? Was he planning something? Or was he doing this out of the kindness of his heart?

"O-of course. That can easily be arranged," The elder said, just as shocked as his villagers. "What would you have us do first?"

"The first thing is to set up a defensive perimeter. As far as we know, the horde isn't gone. I'll look around, see if I can find anyone else or more monsters," the American informed the survivors.

"I understand. What is your name, Sir Knight?" The village elder asked.

"Dempsey. Just call me Dempsey," he told them, before grabbing his staff and taking off.

* * *

Dempsey wiped the sweat from his brow. He swept through the village twice, taking out any monsters he found. His staff was still without any charge, so he had to use his fists. Unfortunately, he only found about 4 more survivors. Everyone else was already dead. He still took the bodies out of the wreckage of the former homes and onto the street. They needed to be buried tomorrow.

As he returned to the villagers, who managed to make a small barricade, they looked at him with a sorrowful look.

"I couldn't find much. From what I could tell, however, the large stone building is in good shape. It might be best if we all stay there," Dempsey informed them, as the newly found survivors joined their families.

As he watched them hug each other, tears of happiness roll down their eyes, he noticed the girl from earlier. She was with her family, the resemblance was striking, but she looked sad.

"Hey, kid. Good job," He said, walking over to her.

"You saved our little Rachel. Thank you, Sir Tank," the mother said. He looked at her in surprise, mainly because he didn't expect to hear his nickname. He then remembered what he told the girl. She must have thought it was his first name.

"Dempsey is fine. But it's not a problem," he told them, giving a smile.

"M-mister Dempsey, sir?" Rachel spoke up, "M-my friend, w-was she in the village?" She asked, her eyes welling up.

"Can I get a description?" He asked, with a look of concern.

"W-well, she's about my age, with brown hair and red eyes," Rachel said, looking down. Dempsey smiled.

"Good news, she wasn't in the village," he told her. She looked at him in confusion.

"H-how is that good news?" Rachel asked, looking confused.

"That means she could've escaped out of the village," she looked back up, hope in her eyes. "After we get everyone to the building, I'll look around for any more survivors on the outskirts of the village. I might be able to find her," he said. She looked up, her eyes watered with tears of joy.

"T-thank you!" She said, clutching him in a tight hug. Dempsey looked to her two parents, who looked surprised by her action. They then joined, hugging Rachel. Dempsey, who was stuck in the middle of this, sighed.

As they broke apart, he escorted the villagers to the structure, avoiding the dead bodies where he could. The structure was a three story building. It had a main atrium, with the second and third floors having a group of small two bed bedrooms. The first floor had a kitchen and some tables. There was also a fireplace on one of the ends of the atrium. It might have been some kind of inn.

Before he left, the village elder stopped him.

"Sir Dempsey, where do you plan on going?" He asked, scared.

"I'm going to search the outskirts of the town. There might be others who made it. I should be back a bit after nightfall," he informed the elder.

"I understand. How is your hand? I saw you holding it after the Wave ended," he asked. Dempsey removed his glove, glancing at his hand. It was mostly healed, and it began to scar.

"It's fine. Thanks for the concern, however," he responded. The elder nodded, before leaving him to explore.

The first place Dempsey checked was the shack he woke up in. Looking around, he found that there were barrels of crops, that looked to be only 25% filled up. He also found a thick, brown, leather jacket, with a large strap wrapped around it.

"My jacket made it. And so did the rest of my-" Dempsey stopped when he saw the state of the rest of the clothes. His old shirt and pants were torn, to the extent there was no point in wearing it. "Well, I guess I can keep the jacket," Dempsey said. Feeling in the pockets, he found his old service knife, just as sharp as ever. He left the two items from his past on a nearby barrel.

He walked out, looking to where he could begin. He regained his strength, so he decided to start from the western side of the nearby woods.

* * *

He was almost done with his search.

Dempsey managed to find about 8 other people who ran and hid from the 'Wave', as the elder called it. None of them matched the description of the girl Rachel mentioned, however.

He finally arrived at a small beach near the village. He might be able to find footprints that lead to someone. As his boots hit the soft sand, he noticed there was no sign of anyone there. Dempsey considered cutting his losses and heading back.

His ears heard something. It sounded akin to a cough. The American moved closer to the source. As he moved around a rock, he saw her.

The young girl was drenched. She must've crawled out of the ocean recently. She was also very cold, if the constant shivering was any hint. Looking past those, he saw her hair was a long, light brown, alongside a pair of brown ears and a tail, which reminded Dempsey of a racoon. She was wearing a white dress that was soaked. He reached out a hand, to see if she was responsive, or even conscious.

She quickly jumped back the moment Dempsey's hand touched her. Her eyes were wide, almost feral-like. They were also a red color.

"Woah, woah. Easy now," Dempsey said, raising his hands to show he wouldn't attack. He knelt down, looking her in the eyes. "Don't worry, I'm here to help. Come on back, the Wave is over," he told her.

"B-but, M-Mom an-and Da-Dad," she said, her eyes watering. He remembered the dead, specifically the ones the Cerberus was eating when he confronted it. They looked similar to her, or what's left of them, anyways.

"I," he sighed, "I'm sorry, kid," he told her, shaking his head. Her eyes were about to burst. He raised a hand, to put on her shoulder to comfort her, but she wrapped her arms around him, pulling herself to him. When she did so, she let the dam burst.

Dempsey, surprised at first, wrapped his arms around her, patting her back to help.

"Just let it all out, kid. There's no shame in it," he told her, as he continued to hold her. After roughly 5 minutes, the well dried up. The kid moved to pull herself away, and Dempsey let her go. She had tears still on her face, with snot coming from her nose. "Hey, kid. What's your name?" Dempsey asked.

"R-Raphtalia," she answered, looking down.

"Raphtalia," Dempsey said, testing how the name rolled off the tongue. "I think I'll just call you kid," he said, getting a look of confusion and surprise from her. "I'm kidding. So, Raphtalia." He gave her a soft smile. "I'm Dempsey," he told her. She looked down.

"Mr. Dempsey, why?" She asked.

"I don't know. I'm sorry. For now, let's take you back to the village. You can get dried off," he told her, standing up. She looked hesitant. "Your friends are worried sick. At least show them you're okay," he told her. She went to stand up, but her legs gave out. Dempsey caught her before she fell, though.

As they walked back to the village, he assisted her in walking, until she finally got to where she could walk on her own. Afterwards, instead of heading for the inn, the two went to the shack. It was already past nightfall, so he needed to be quick.

"Wait outside, I'll be back in a minute," Dempsey told her, as she looked scared. "Don't worry, it'll be fine," he reassured her. She still looked terrified. He nodded to himself.

He took his staff off of his back, before handing it to the raccoon girl. "This staff has immense power. It has the power to save the world. It'll protect you, just as it has protected me," he told her. She gripped it, before looking back. She had a more confident look. Dempsey could still tell she was scared, but she looked to be able to fight it. "Now give me a minute," he said, before moving into the shack.

He walked to where he stored his knife and jacket, before grabbing both. He looked over the room, not noticing anything different, before returning to Raphtalia. She looked confused as to his new items. He placed the knife on his hip, before unfolding his jacket.

"It's my old jacket. It's gotten me through some tough times, but you need it more than me," he told her. He threw it over her, so it was resting over her shoulders. "It's a bit big on you, but you'll grow into it," he told her, smiling.

"Why?" She asked. She was confused as to the reason behind his actions.

"You're cold. It'll help dry you off and keep you warm. Plus it suits you," he said. She gave the staff back, as they walked into the stone inn.

From what he could tell, the other survivors were already asleep. A few of them were eating from a bowl, it looked like vegetable soup. The fireplace was lit, and was where the food was being served. Dempsey was given one bowl by the elder, who made sure he was alright.

"I'm fine. It was just a lot more ground than I expected to cover," Dempsey reassured.

"I was only making sure. The last thing we need is for our only defender to die," the old man said. He turned, noticing Raphtalia, who was hiding behind Dempsey. "Ah, young Raphtalia. It is good to see that you survived."

"Th-thank you, Elder Lyons," she responded. He nodded in response. He handed her a bowl of soup as well.

"Sir Dempsey, may I ask what you plan to have us do tomorrow?" Elder Lyons asked.

He moved closer, to keep Raphtalia, who remained by his side, from hearing. "We need to bury the dead. The fires ran out of fuel, so they won't be a problem. Also, I need to know how much food we have right now, and if we have any farmers who can begin to replant their crops. After the dead are buried, we can fully focus on rebuilding," he explained. The elder nodded.

"I will explain it to the rest of the survivors in the morning. Go on and get some rest. You deserve it," Elder Lyons told the American, who nodded goodbye.

Raphtalia followed close to Dempsey, who didn't mind. She lost her parents, and she probably thought she was going to die out there. Maybe she sees him as a symbol of hope. He shook his head. He didn't need to be staying here forever. For all he knew, the others were dead. He was worried, obviously.

A tug on his tunic pulled him out of his thoughts. "Mr. Dempsey, are you alright?" Raphtalia asked.

He sighed, shaking his head. "I'm worried. My friends are on their own, fighting for their lives as far as I know. I hope they're alright," he told her.

"Well, Mr. Dempsey, what are your friends like?" She asked, as they sat near the fire.

"There's Nikolai. He's like a bear. Strong, ferocious, and brave. But, he's still going through some of his issues. He lost someone important to him," he told her, remembering what Nikolai told his 1.0 counterpart. "He would probably be better at this whole task. He's good with working."

"He sounds nice. I think he's okay," Raphtalia said, surprising Dempsey.

"He's not the only one. There's Takeo, but I call him Tak. He's an honorable soldier. Back where he's from, he's one of the last samurais, an extremely brave and noble group of warriors. But, that all changed when he found out the man he swore his honor was for, his Emperor, had betrayed him. He was never the same since. The only ones he seeks honor for, is his ancestors," Dempsey explained, as they ate, "and us."

"Woah, he must be a good friend," Raphtalia said, as soup dripped from her spoon and fell onto her dress. Using a nearby towel, Dempsey helped clean some of it off.

"And then there's Richtofen. That crazy doc made us jump through so many hoops. He was always the mastermind behind everything. He told us where to go, and what to do, but I went along with it. When we reached the end of our journey, he told us it was to save our eternal souls. He went out of his way to ensure not only would our souls survive, but also us," he explained.

"Wait, you don't have a soul?" Raphtalia asked.

"I do. It's just not with me. It's somewhere else. Safe. Richtofen said this. I believed he thought he was alone. I never realized he believed this. 'When I died, I felt nothing. When Dempsey died, I felt something. When Takeo died, I knew I had to try to save them.'"

Raphtalia looked at him, both in awe and in confusion. "He said you died. But if you died, then how come you're here?" She asked.

Dempsey sighed. He kinda forgot about that part. "To collect our souls, we had to go to a different world. Richtofen picked up an artifact, a type of key that can contain and persevere one's soul. But, it can only be done after the moment of death. He explained that before he moved to kill the alternative me. I stopped him. 'If someone's gotta take him out to save the universe, then it should be me who does it.' That's what I told him. Instead of not listening, he trusted me enough to allow me to do it, and even let me say goodbye. He always had a plan, even when we had to fight a war that we weren't prepared for. He made it up as he went along, but he still pulled us through. Before coming here, he told us that he was looking for a device that would finally allow us to live a normal life. But, everything changed after I picked up that book," his eyes widened. "Raphtalia, do you know of some people called the 'Four Cardinal Heroes'?" Dempsey asked.

"Y-yeah. There's the sword hero, the bow hero, the spear hero, and the shield hero," she responded. She was still wrapping her head around the whole 'multiple worlds' thing Dempsey was talking about.

"Holy," he simply said. "That explains it. The Wave, the elemental staffs, the four heroes," a light bulb went off in his head. "The heroes! They haven't been summoned yet! Maybe they are gonna be summoned soon," Dempsey said, his mind racing.

"Uh, Mr. Dempsey, what do you mean?" She asked, slightly scared.

"Before we arrived in this place, we read a book that talked about the Four Cardinal Heroes. It also mentioned four heroes who wield an elemental staff that are brought here before the four regular heroes, if the world is in true peril," Dempsey explained. "After we collected our souls, and after the unprepared war, which we called the Second Great War, we were sent to the past. There, we fought in the First Great War. That's where we got our armor. We each wielded a staff, with an elemental crystal in it. After winning the war, and before we were brought here, Richtofen took the crystals out of the staffs, just in case we needed them. After we were sent here, I had this replica staff. It isn't as strong, but I have a feeling it can be stronger," Dempsey said.

"So, your friends must be alright. Or at least here," she looked down, "so you're going to go look for them."

"Yeah. I will," Dempsey responded, "after I'm done helping you guys recover," he finished. Raphtalia looked back in shock. "I couldn't live with myself if I just left you guys like this. So, I'll stick around. When everything's able to work without me needing to be here, I'll try to find them. If they haven't found us first," he explained to her. She looked back down.

"So, I'll never see you again," she said, a tear falling down her face. Dempsey wiped it up.

"I never said that," he said, catching her by surprise, "I could use someone to help me out on the road. Tomorrow, I might have to go hunting, so I can take you to help you learn how it's done, if you want. Then, when I leave, you can come with me."

"R-really?" Raphtalia asked, completely stunned. "B-but I'm just a kid," she said. Dempsey, in response to this, laughed.

"I told my recruiter the same thing. And I'll tell you what he told me. 'Maybe you are. But you've got potential. I can see it in your eyes.' And I really do see it," he stayed silent, as Raphtalia processed what Dempsey said. "I'll let you think abo-"

"Yes," she responded. "I want to go hunting with you tomorrow." It was now Dempsey's turn to be shocked. He replaced the surprise with a smile.

"Alright. Let's get some rest. Tomorrow's the dawn of a new day. Let's make a better tomorrow," he said, raising his bowl of soup. She raised hers, making them hit together. The two laughed, as they tried to drink down the soup.

'That's the first time I've seen her laugh, let alone smile. Maybe this will be a better tomorrow,' Dempsey thought, smiling.

**Thank you for reading. I plan on updating the story at the earliest, biweekly. At worst, it will be monthly. However, the next chapter should be uploaded on the 28th. See you guys next time.**


	3. Nobody Can Change the Past

**Yes, I know I said that I would post it on the 28th, but I lied. Consider this a little gift. I guess it could be weekly, depending on the frequency that I write these chapters. Now, onto the chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Rising of the Shield Hero or Call of Duty.**

"Field report. I arrived in an unknown world. The others are currently MIA, so I'm on my own. Currently, I'm located in a small village, where I rescued them from a Wave of Catastrophe. They allowed me to stay here. Everyone I encountered has animalistic traits, so, besides the others, I could be the only human in this world. I'm taking care of a civilian, alongside my jobs as defender and the lead in reconstruction. Her name's Raphtalia. She's young, and was orphaned from the Wave. I guess she looks to me to be her caretaker. When I leave the village, she wishes to travel with me. Until I decide the village can survive on its own, I'll also train her how to hunt and fight. Then, maybe, she'll come with. Will update when more information is received. Dempsey out," Dempsey finished, as he closed the journal. He always did a field report when he had a chance, and due to the lack of recording devices, he would have to write them out. It helped calm his nerves, and allowed him to fully process the events that he went through earlier. He looked to the girl he mentioned, sleeping peacefully in the other bed. He placed a hand on her, making sure she would be alright.

Unlike last night.

"_NO!"_

_Dempsey's eyes quickly opened, when he heard the voice. Looking around the room, he saw Raphtalia sitting upright in her bed. Her eyes were glued shut, but she had her arms out. Dempsey saw tears leaking through the closed eyelids. _

"_No, don't leave me!" She begged. The American shot out of bed, before going to her. She instantly latched herself to him, hugging the American in the process. He returned it, stroking her hair. She cried in his arms for over an hour, until she fell back asleep. _

Dempsey stayed up for the rest of the night after that. Luckily, she didn't have that nightmare again. Dempsey wasn't tired. If there's one thing the Marines taught him, it was how to survive with less than the bare minimum. After closing the journal, and storing it in his tunic's pocket, he looked outside. According to the sun, it was between 0700 and 0800 hours. They would have to get up soon.

He gave her a small poke in the face, to see if she would respond. She woke up, her red eyes locking into the American. She looked surprised, but the events of yesterday came back to her.

"M-Mr. Dempsey?" She asked.

"Yup," he responded. "We should get ready, today's the start of your training," he told her. Her eyes widened, as she shot up.

Raphtalia slipped the leather jacket on, with her arms not coming close to the end of the sleeves. Dempsey rolled the sleeves up for her. She adjusted the strap to where it would prevent the jacket from slipping off. Dempsey guided the girl to the atrium, where most of the survivors were gathered. Elder Lyons handed the two a bowl of warm soup, the same from yesterday. Raphtalia went off to a table with her soup, even though she would've wanted to eat something else.

"Sir Dempsey, from what I can tell, we have enough food stored away to feed everyone here for about half a week," the elder informed him, as he was given his food. Dempsey nodded, before walking to where Raphtalia was sitting.

She was at a table, alongside three other kids. One was Rachel, who looked ecstatic to have her friend back. The other two consisted of a young girl with blonde hair that reached the small of her back. She had some type of ears on her head, with a yellow tail, but Dempsey couldn't tell what type of animal it was. The other looked to be a boy, with short black hair and black ears. Dempsey turned around to leave, but stopped before he could do so.

"Mr. Dempsey, come here!" Raphtalia called. He looked at her, before following orders. "This is Mr. Dempsey. He helped me come back to the village after he ended the Wave," Raphtalia told them, while Dempsey scratched the back of his head.

"Woah, you're so cool! Are you one of the Four Cardinal Heroes?" The black haired male asked, his black eyes widening.

"No, but I got a feeling they'll be summoned soon," he told them. After their chat, he made sure Raphtalia swore to never tell anyone else about him being from another world. If there was a religion that worshiped them, then saying he was from another world might be seen as blasphemous.

"How are you so sure?" The blonde asked, tilting her head.

"Gut feeling. It kept me alive for this long, so I tend to believe it," he lied to them.

"Well, do you think we'll meet the Shield Hero?" Rachel asked. Dempsey rubbed his chin, thinking.

"Maybe," Dempsey responded. They lit up like a Christmas tree, before they started talking to each other, about how they would travel with the Shield hero, and marry him. Dempsey looked at them in confusion, as to why they would care so much about the Shield. He shrugged.

"Well, you three will be playing catch-up, because Mr. Dempsey's training me," Raphtalia said with full confidence.

"What? That's not fair!" The other three responded, as Dempsey chuckled. He remembered him and his brother acting like this when they were young. A sorrowful look passed over him. He didn't remember his own home, or the people who he called his family. He only had that feeling in his heart, which was weak.

"Mr. Dempsey? Mr. Dempsey?" Raphtalia asked, as he was pulled back from his thoughts.

"Yeah, what is it?" The American responded.

"You had that look on your face again. Is everything okay?" She responded.

"Y-yeah, everything's fine. Just thinking," he told them. The other three went back to their meal and conversation, while Raphtalia looked at him in concern. Her gaze was interrupted when the elder banged on a metal pot, gaining everyone's attention.

"Excuse me, everyone. I know that you must be hungry, but this will take only a little bit of time," the elder's voice rang out, grabbing everyone's attention. "As we had feared, the Wave striked us at a horrific time. We all lost, whether it be our homes, or our families. We will never truly go back to the time before this. However, we can live on for them. May Sir Dempsey, the man who ended the Wave and saved us all, step forward."

Dempsey did so, making sure to have his staff secured to his back. As he stepped where the elder stood. He felt a slight panic rush him. "Good morning, everyone. As Elder Lyons stated before, I am Dempsey. Today begins the Reconstruction process. Before we can do that, however, we need to pay our respects to those who have fallen. We will dig graves for each of the deceased. After that, we will begin the process of rebuilding," he explained. "Also, we will need any farmers to begin to replant their crops. Could any and all farmers, please raise your hand," looking around, he saw a few people raise their hand. About four. "Good, now after you are finished with breakfast, I want the farmers to follow me, while everyone else will be placed in the charge of the Elder. Now, let's finish up, and get to work." Dempsey finished.

As he walked back, Raphtalia nodded, indicating she was done. The two said goodbye, as they left the tavern. After a few minutes, the farmers arrived, as Dempsey guided them to a good amount of flatland that could be used for farmland. He informed the farmers that they would have to work on their own, since Dempsey knew little about farming, and he had to get more food from hunting. They understood, as the two left to head into the village.

"So, Mr. Dempsey, where do we begin?" Raphtalia asked, as they made their way to the shack.

"First, we're doing a strength test. All I need you to do is to try and get the barrels out of the shack and onto the street," Dempsey informed the young girl. He opened the door and indicated four barrels that had food in them. "I want these to be outside of the shack. I'll take one to the tavern, so that'll give you plenty of time," he told her, before hoisting one over his left shoulder and carrying it out.

The youth looked at her caretaker leave, before trying the same thing. After a minute of struggling, she only achieved falling onto her butt. Brushing the dirt off, she tried to push the barrel, which didn't work. The next idea was to pull it, which failed. She forced all of her strength on one side of the barrel, which caused it to begin to topple over. The raccoon girl stopped it, before signing in relief.

Looking down, she noticed the barrel move slightly. It was only a couple of inches, but it still moved. Rocking the barrel, she shifted the barrel forward, moving it slowly, but surely. After ten minutes, she managed to get one barrel out. She breathed a sigh of relief. Dempsey hadn't come back yet, so she still had time to bring the other barrels out of the sha-

"Ah, I see you managed to get one out," her thoughts were cut in two when her caretaker spoke. She looked, seeing the man walk over to her.

"I-I'm sorry, Mr. Dempsey! It was too heavy to carry like you and-" Raphtalia was cut off when Dempsey placed his hand on her head.

"It's just a test. And you got one out. That's more than most kids your age would've gotten," he reassured her. Raphtalia responded with a large smile. "Let's get the rest of them out. Then, we'll set out," Dempsey told her. She responded with a sharp nod, before reentering the shack, to show the man how she got the barrel out. Dempsey responded by a nod of approval, as he took one of the two remaining barrels to the tavern, while Raphtalia moved the last one out.

As she did so, she noticed something. Grabbing the object, she noticed it was a bow. The bow was a short bow, made from a bone-like substance. It was held together in some places by a cloth. Next to it was a quiver, with 60 wooden arrows, with a hardened stone tip. Grabbing the bow and quiver, she walked out of the shack, as Dempsey returned.

"I, uh, found this behind the last barrel," Raphtalia told her caretaker. He looked at the bow, his eyes locked onto it.

"This looks like the bow from Der Eisendrache," he muttered. He shook his head. "Well, at least you got a ranged weapon. I was gonna let you use my knife, but this might be better," he said, giving a smile.

As Raphtalia placed the quiver on her back, she held the bow tight. She had never used a weapon in her life, but that would change today. She took a breath to calm herself, as she adjusted the quiver strap.

"Here," Dempsey called out, handing over a sheathed knife. "It'll help you better than me," he told her, as she took it. After she attached the knife to her strap, she nodded to Dempsey, indicating she was ready.

The two entered the woods surrounding the village. As they traveled, Dempsey taught her how to tell where she was using the sun as a compass, and how to mark where she's been. Eventually, Dempsey slowed down, and indicated Raphtalia to do the same. She followed his silent order, as they stopped.

"Alright, there's a clearing ahead. From what I can tell, there's a rabbit in it. It doesn't know we're here yet, so we can use this chance we have to kill it silently," Dempsey whispered to her, as she listened. She drew an arrow from her quiver, as she crept up.

In front of the two was a small clearing, with trees surrounding it. In the middle, there was a fat rabbit looking around. The fur was pure white, and it's eyes were a slight red.

Raphtalia placed the arrow on the bowstring, before pulling back. Her hands were shaking, her heartbeat in her ears. A firm hand on her shoulder caused her to change focus. She didn't let go of the bow, but she wasn't facing her prey.

"Take a deep breath," Dempsey ordered quietly. "Don't think about missing. Control your nerves. They are only holding you back. Take a second breath. Hold it. Then release," he told her, as her hands began to shake less. Her heartbeat calmed down. She changed her focus to the rabbit. "Take a deep breath. Hold," Dempsey said, "Now, release."

She let go of the bowstring. The arrow flew out the brush they were hiding in and made a new home in the gut of the rabbit. What came out was a series of flashbacks for the young girl.

She saw her parents final moments, including them throwing her into the ocean to spare her of their fate. Their blood was spilled, as she descended closer to the ocean waters.

Her hands trembled, as she dropped to her knees. Her bow slipped out of her hand, as she saw their blood fly from their bodies. She hit the water, and it replayed in her mind. She was closer, she could hear their screams as she fell. Replayed again, and again, she was closer. She could smell the rough scent of blood. The crude cycle repeated again, and again, and again.

"Raphtalia," a voice called out to her. It was distant. Almost as if it was a hundred miles away. It sounded familiar.

"Raphtalia!" It called out again. It was louder, but still distant. She tried to reach out to it.

"RAPHTALIA!"

The cycle broke in front of her, as she returned to reality. She was staring into the sky, her heart, ready to burst out of her chest. Her face was wet, especially her eyes. Looking to her left, she saw Dempsey. His eyes widened, his pupils shaking. He had something coming from them. Tears? No, it couldn't be. Mr. Dempsey doesn't cry. But, there they were, clear as day.

"M-Mr. Dem-Dempsey?" She asked. Her voice was shaking. When her voice reached his ears, his eyes stopped shaking. He released a deeply held breath.

"Raph-Raphtalia?" He asked. She nodded.

"I-Is everything alright?" She asked. He helped her off of her back and into a sitting position.

"You started shaking and hyperventilating. You were muttering something to yourself. I tried to get to you, but you just didn't stop. I thought something was going to happen," he said, placing an ungloved hand on her head.

"I-I saw my parents. I saw them die," she said on the brink of tears.

"In front of you?" he asked. She nodded. He sighed, "Goddammit," he swore under his breath. He wrapped his arms around her, as she pulled herself to him. The two remained like that, as the pain of her memory burned away.

As they released, Raphtalia looked around. Her eyes locked to her prey, which had an arrow sticking out of it. The blood threatened to bring the memory back, but a hand from Dempsey cleared it away.

"If you don't want to," he began, before she started to walk to it. Her eyes now had a fire behind them.

"They want me to live on. I have to do this. For them," she said. She walked to the rabbit, as it shaked, indicating it was alive. She unsheathed her knife, before plunging it into its neck. As she drew the knife from her prey's neck, blood splashed onto her dress.

She turned around, and saw Dempsey. He had a relieved expression on his face. He walked over to her.

"Now what?" She asked.

"Now, we skin it and take the meat. But first," he kneeled down to her level, "I wanna say how proud I am of you. You're braver than most kids your age. Hell, you're braver than most of the other guys that went through basic with me. And they were full on adults," he told her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "This world's lucky to have you."

"C-can we-" she began to ask.

"Yeah, I'll make sure you can see them one last time. Before we go back to the tavern," he answered.

"Thank you, for everything," she told him.

"It's nothing. All I'm doing is giving you a helping hand. All of this is your doing," Dempsey told her. "Now, enough sappy talk. Let's get back to work," he said, changing tones. Raphtalia giggled as he began to explain how to skin prey and take everything they got.

* * *

The two reentered the small town, their prey carried in a rucksack Dempsey jury rigged together out of his tunic and the jacket strap. Raphtalia didn't have another episode, but she noticed the sight of blood threatened to bring the memories back less and less with each kill. Dempsey discovered that Raphtalia was a quick learner. Hell, she might become a better shot than him one day. At least he can shoot the wings off of a fly.

As they entered the village, they noticed a new addition. It was a large graveyard, with at least 50 graves. Each one was marked with a small wooden cross. The sign above it was in a language unknown to the American, but Raphtalia read it. She walked over to a plaque that was next to the sign.

"'For those who gave their lives against the Wave of Catrospache to protect this village, and those who live in it.'" She read aloud. Dempsey placed a hand on her shoulder. She looked through the graves, before stopping at a pair. She knelt down. "He-hey Mom, Da-dad. I'm sorry, I wasn't strong enough. I was too weak to save you, but I'm gonna make that change. I know you want me to live on for you, but I don't think I can do that alone. Mr. Dempsey is taking care of me. He's a good guy, and a hero. I don't know how I can repay him, but he doesn't seem to care about my debt. He only wants to help me grow stronger, so that I can travel with him. I know it might not be what you want, but I think it'll allow me to help people. Maybe, I can stop others from going through this. I love you, both of you. And I'm sorry," Raphtalia told the two graves, before nodding to herself. She picked herself up off of the dirt, before looking to Dempsey, who gave a silent nod. The two left the graveyard, another word not spoken between the two.

Before they entered the tavern, they noticed a large, light blue feathered bird tied to a post near the entrance. The two drew their weapons, with Dempsey working the crank to reload the staff, which actually worked. Raphtalia drew her bow and pulled out an arrow. They opened the door to the tavern, and noticed that a man in full armor was standing in front of the townspeople. He had black hair, and brown eyes, with a light beard. He had a scroll, and was currently reading it to the people.

"'Therefore, this village, as well as its inhabitants are now placed in the control of Lord Idol Rabier,'" The man finished, before Dempsey could react. "Now, any questions?" He asked, lowering the scroll.

"Yeah, I got a few," Dempsey shouted, getting everyone's attention.

"Ah, I didn't expect to see another human in this demi-human filled town. What can I help you with?" He asked. Dempsey ignored the human and demi-human comments. Questions for later, he figured.

"Well, where the hell were you when the Wave came?" He asked, his eyes narrowing.

"Well, I was standing amongst my fellow knights, defending Lord Idol's estate. We were ordered to defend it at all costs. I can tell by your armor that you're a knight, or at least a soldier. You should understand that we had to follow orders," he said.

"Yeah, I was a soldier, maybe I still am, but if I know people need my help, then I'll help them. Orders be damned," Dempsey responded, the grip on his staff tightened. "So, did you know this village was affected by the Wave?" He asked, aiming his staff at the knight.

"You dare point a weapon at me!" He yelled, drawing his sword. "Do you know who I am?! I am Knight Captain Franklin Willows! I will have your head on a stick if you don't lower the weapon!" He yelled at the American.

"And I'm Dempsey, protector of this village, and the man who ended the Wave!" Dempsey responded, making the man's eyes widen.

"Y-you killed the Boss Monster? By yourself?" Willows asked, his voice shaking.

"Yeah."

The knight lowered his blade, before sheathing it. "I-I didn't realize I was in your presence. Forgive me," the captain said, lowering his head.

"I might, on a condition," Dempsey said, catching the man off guard. "I want you to leave, and make this 'Idol Rabier' guy forget about this village. Then, I'll forgive you," Dempsey explained. The man gave a quick salute.

"Sir, yes sir!" He said, holding his salute. Dempsey noted that even though Captain Willows was above him in rank, due to Dempsey only being a Corporal, he still saluted him, as if the American was his superior.

"Good, now move out! Double time!" Dempsey ordered, as Captain Willows moved from his soapbox and out the door in record time. As he left, Dempsey looked to the townspeople, "Is everyone alright?" He asked.

"Yes, thank you," Elder Lyons responded. "So, what is the plan for tomorrow?" He asked.

"Are all of the dead buried?" Dempsey asked. A nod confirmed it. "Good. The farmers will get back to work on the fields. The rest will either join the farmers, or they will help rebuild some of the less damaged buildings," the American told the elder. He nodded, before handing the two soup.

"It's still warm, so it should suffice," the old man said. Dempsey handed them the sack of rabbit meat.

"Add some meat in there, for tomorrow's breakfast. That's about 8 rabbits worth," Dempsey explained. He happily took the meat, as the hunters went to eat.

"So, Mr. Dempsey," Raphtalia began, "do you think that guy will leave us alone?"

"That Captain Willows guy?" Dempsey asked. She nodded, "Probably. He's a knight, and they're all about being honest and stuff. So he might not come back."

"Wait, you're not a knight?" Raphtalia asked.

"Nope. Before I came here, I was a Corporal in the United States Marine Corps. It made me into the tough SOB you see today," Dempsey explained. "It taught me a lot, so that means I got a lot to teach you."

"That's cool. And you think I'm braver than the guys you trained with?" Raphtalia asked.

"I'm not a liar. Or I try to not be," Dempsey reconfirmed.

"Thank you!" She said, hugging him. Dempsey sighed, before returning it.

"You got nobody to thank but yourself," Dempsey told her. "You're strong and brave, more so than you think. We're gonna have to stick together."

The two broke apart and finished their meals. As they went to bed, Dempsey noticed the young raccoon girl fell asleep with a smile on her face.

**Thank you for reading, and thanks to everyone who reviewed. Have a good day and I will see you next time.**


	4. The End of the Beginning

**Hello everyone, and welcome back. I know its been a while since my last update, but I'm back. More info at the end of the chapter.**

**I do not own Rising of the Shield Hero or Call of Duty.**

"Field report. It's been six days since initial contact. Progress on the training has been swift. Reconstruction has been going extremely well, due to the villagers willingness to rebuild. Mr. Dempsey hasn't taken a bath yet. He still smells like a wet lizard. Raphtalia out," Raphtalia said, with a smile on her face, as Dempsey smacked his face with his open palm. She had woken up yesterday morning when Dempsey was doing the field report, which led to him explaining what it was. Today, Dempsey woke up to her doing it in his place. The good news was that she hadn't had a nightmare for a few days, or at least she didn't wake up in the middle of the night.

"Really, Raphtalia?" Dempsey asked, still groggy.

"Yup!" She responded, a smile on her face. He sighed.

"I don't know if I should be proud of you for waking up early, or upset that you said I smell like a wet lizard," Dempsey said, joking.

"Well, take a bath and I'll stop talking about it," she replied, beaming.

"Nobody else seemed to mind," Dempsey muttered, making the racoon girl laugh. The American then joined in on the laughter.

As they entered the atrium, they picked up a bowl of venison stew. The two had managed to take down an elk, which gave the villagers something to eat besides vegetables and rabbit. As they ate, Keel, the black haired boy from a few days ago, showed up.

"Oh, hey, Raphtalia, Mr. Dempsey," the boy said, waving at the two. He sat down next to them, his stew in his bowl.

"Hey, Keel, what's up?" Raphtalia asked, sipping on her stew.

"Nothing much. The others are still asleep, so I decided to just get some food early," he said, as he ate some of the soup. "My God, what is this? It's so good!"

"Its venison stew," Dempsey answered.

"Venison?" Keel asked.

"Basically, its elk meat," Raphtalia answered.

"Well, whatever it is, it's good," he responded. Raphtalia giggled, as Dempsey held back a snicker. They quickly finished their meal.

"Anyways, Keel, it's time for us to go," Raphtalia told the boy, whose ears dropped.

"Alright, I guess we'll see you this evening," he told them. Raphtalia planted her hand on his head.

"We'll be back, don't worry," Raphtalia said, making Keel look up with a smile.

"Yeah, I don't know why I'm getting so worked up. We'll see you guys later," he told the two hunters, who responded with a wave.

Before they left the tavern, Raphtalia made sure her bow was secured to the quiver. It would be attached to the strap, but it's being used as part of the sack for the meat. The two nodded to each other, before they left into the village proper.

Some of the buildings were in the process of being rebuilt, but everyone still stayed in the tavern. There were a few villagers with makeshift spears guarding the perimeter. Dempsey taught them how to guard an area, just in case monsters showed up. They waved to the duo, who entered the nearby forest.

* * *

The hunt was uneventful.

It was currently the evening. They had managed to snag about seven rabbits, and they cooked one. The fire was made by Raphtalia, while Dempsey watched her.

"So, Raph, you think you're ready?" Dempsey asked.

"Well, I'm still learning with building a fire, and I haven't touched on first aid, so I need to learn how to do that still," Raphtalia responded, biting into a chunk of cooked rabbit meat.

"Hopefully you'll never need to use it. With how things are going, I might leave sometime next week," Dempsey told her, as he watched his chunk of rabbit get roasted over the fire.

"What do you mean, 'I'?" Raphtalia asked, her eyes narrowing.

"Well, I want to make sure you're still okay with leaving. You've got friends here, and they'll miss you," Dempsey responded, raising his hands.

"I know, but I can't leave you all alone. You might get lonely and scared," Raphtalia told him.

"Thanks, but I don't really get scared."

"Well, I'm still going!" She said, stomping her foot. She was pouting. Dempsey looked at her, before a small snicker escaped his lips. He then burst out laughing. Raphtalia, confused, asked, "Wh-What? What is it?"

"You look so funny when you pout," Dempsey said, in between laughs.

"At least I don't smell," Raphtalia muttered.

Dempsey stopped laughing, before sighing, "Well, you managed to convince me. So, when we leave, we'll have to stick together," Dempsey told her, raising a fist. Raphtalia responded by pounding her own fist into his.

"Well then, let's do it," the raccoon girl told the Marine, who nodded. They finished their food, put out the fire, and made their way back home.

Little did they know what awaited them.

* * *

Captain Willows's breathing has heavily labored. The spear managed to pierce the armor he was wearing, as blood came from the wound. He left it in his torso, no need to make his last moments worse. Looking around, he saw the burning ruins of the village he had entered earlier that week. The adults were slaughtered around him, their blood spilt on the ground.

"What the hell?" He heard that knight from a few days ago ask. Footsteps approached, as Willows held onto life. "My God, what happened?" The knight asked, his staff was held tightly in his hands.

"He-hey! Kn-Knight," Willows called out. The knight, Dempsey he believed his name was, walked over. When he saw the injured captain, his eyes burned with a raging fury.

"You fucker! You did this?!" He asked, raising his staff.

Before it came down, he stopped. He looked at the spear that was implanted in the Captain.

"This staff is too well made for the ones in this village," Dempsey muttered. "Who did this?" Dempsey asked, his voice not as angry, but it still had venom in it.

"I-Idol Rabier. He ordered his men to come here, and take all the children. His knights killed all of the adults," Willows explained.

"N-no," a voice whispered. Looking behind Dempsey, he saw a young raccoon girl, with a brown leather jacket, a sack on her back, and a bow in her hands. She looked around, her eyes widened and ready to burst.

"Raphtalia," the knight called, walking to her. He embraced her, rubbing her back as she let out her tears.

"I-I'm sorry," the knight captain said. He could feel the world around him grow colder. He would soon pass on. He closed his eyes.

He felt a prick in his neck, as the world suddenly grew hotter. Opening his eyes, he saw the laser focus of Dempsey.

"You don't get to die. Not until you explain everything," Dempsey ordered. He moved behind the knight captain, as he felt his arms get grabbed. He felt himself get pulled away from the village and into the nearby woods. The raccoon girl, Raphtalia, followed the two, her tears still falling from his eyes.

Dempsey stopped when they were about 250 feet away from the village. He rested the knight captain against a tree, while he held a shaking Raphtalia. After letting her go, he grabbed the spear that was lodged in the man, and pulled it out. He then quickly removed the armor and bandaged the wound using some bandages made from plant fibers.

Captain Willows remained silent throughout the procedure. Although he wondered why Dempsey bothered to save his life, it would be best to ask later.

"I saved your life. In return, I want you to tell me everything that happened," Dempsey ordered. Willows sighed, before responding.

"When I returned to Rabier's estate, I informed him that the village was completely destroyed. He appeared to be sad from it, but accepted the answer nonetheless. A day later, and he informed me that his scouts saw that there were villagers still alive. I told him that they must not be a problem, and to let them go. He appeared to agree, but said his scouts would keep an eye on it.

"This morning, we were told to go and collect taxes for a town that was past the village. When we stopped here, I told my men to explain the reason. The Commander told my men to round up all the villagers. I ordered my men to stop, but they refused to follow my command. After they rounded them up, the Commander announced, as per order of Idol Rabier, that all the children were to be taken to his estate and all of the adults were to be executed for some crimes that never happened. I tried to stop them, but my Commander stabbed me with his spear and left me to die. His men slaughtered them, and took off to Idol's estate," Captain Willows explained.

Dempsey looked to Raphtalia, who looked terrified. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder, rubbing her arm.

"Why would he take the kids?" Dempsey asked. He dared to not imagine it, but he had to know.

"I grew suspicious of Idol over the past few days, so I investigated his estate. In the dungeon, I saw what that bastard did. He has demi-humans locked in there. Demi-human children. They looked like they were beaten half to death. He probably tortures them. If I had to guess why he took them," Willows trailed off.

"That monster," Raphtalia breathed out. "Where are they? Where are my friends?!" Raphtalia demanded, drawing her bow.

"Raphtalia," Dempsey responded sternly. She glared at him, before putting her bow back on her quiver.

"I have a map. It's of this section of Melromarc," he said, pulling out his map. "Rabier's estate is over here. We're about here," he said, pointing to two points on the map. They were relatively close to Idol's estate. He saw Raphtalia get ready to stand up. "If you're thinking about going there, I wouldn't do it. They placed my murder on you two. I heard the Commander talk about that as they left. Your best bet would be to go here," he pointed to a part of the map. It was to the south, about twice the distance from where they were to Rabier. "That's the estate of Lord Van Reichnott. He's kinder to demi-humans, so you'll have a better chance," Captain Willows explained.

"Alright," Dempsey said. "What about you?"

"I don't know. I thought I'd end up dead, so I figured I would give you a chance with my last breath," the captain told them.

"Well, if we go to this Reichnott guy, and he got news of us killing you, then he might turn us over to Idol. If you come with us, then he might listen. Come on," Dempsey told him, as he helped Willows up. He managed to hold himself upright, and walk slowly. He saw the young demi-human remain still, however. "Raphtalia, I know you want to help your friends, but we can't. I would love to go and kill that bastard, but we'd get taken down the minute we step foot in that estate. We have to wait. It's for our, and their, sake." Dempsey told her. It was firm, but there was good reason behind it.

"Bu-But Rachel, Keel, Rifana," Raphtalia said, her head lowering.

"I know. And it kills me to do this. But we have to. We will save them, one day. Unfortunately, today's not that day," Dempsey told her. She looked up.

"If it's anything, he won't kill them. Some of the slaves looked to have been there for a couple of months. I hope to God they can hold out," Captain Willows told them.

"You and me both," Dempsey said. "Come on, we need to move," he ordered, as the trio began their journey south.

* * *

They decided to rest under the night. Dempsey and Raphtalia made a small campfire near a river. Using the rabbits they hunted, they were able to eat one apiece.

"We aren't sleeping tonight. We need to use the darkness to our advantage. After we're done here, we're picking back up on the road," Dempsey ordered, as they nodded. While the two ate, Dempsey kept an eye out. For all he knew, those scouts could be trying to sneak up on them.

The truth was that he could go and save the kids that the bastard was keeping locked up. The only problem was Raphtalia. It wasn't that she was a burden, far from it. She's useful in hunting, and could probably snipe the guards before they even got there.

The problem was that she's just a kid. Killing isn't something you can do carefree, at least for the first few times. She might hesitate, and get herself killed or captured. Another thing was that, if he did bite the dust, she would be alone. He couldn't live with that possibility. Even if they got to Von Reichnott, he wouldn't leave to try and save them.

'Maybe the others can get them, if they're even alive,' Dempsey thought. His mind was soon flooded with images of them dying, and he was just standing there. They needed his hel-

A soft hand touched his leg. He could tell it was soft from the force they placed on his limb. Following the hand, it led to a concerned Raphtalia. He sighed, clearing his mind.

"You need to eat," she told him. Looking down, he noticed his rabbit was almost overcooked. Raphtalia managed to pull it out of the fire, so it was still edible. He nodded, before taking the rabbit. "Your friends will be fine. I'm sure they're strong, just like you," she told him, calming his mind. She'd been able to read him better with each passing day.

"We won't be able to save your friends, for a while at least," Dempsey told the racoon girl. "They'll open fire on us the minute we get in their sights. But if we find them, we'll ask for the rest of Primis to rescue them. They're an unknown element. Idol might make the mistake of trusting them," he explained.

"And they'll be close enough to save them!" Raphtalia exclaimed. Dempsey gave a smile, indicating she was right.

"If we get to Lord Reichnott's estate, we can ask for him to spread the message while you two leave this part of the country," Willows brought up. "I'll stay behind, to form a plan and to keep you from being held back."

"Good, then let's move," Dempsey ordered, as he stomped the fire out. They drank from the river, before resuming their journey south.

* * *

They were tired.

Their legs hurt.

Their bodies ached.

Their feet were covered in blisters.

But, they made it.

The three came out of the woodline, relieved as they felt the cool air of midday hit them. Raphtalia had her jacket tied around her waist, with the strap around her torso. The rucksack lost its use when they ate the last rabbits in the morning. Dempsey looked to be slightly winded, his cloth tunic covering his torso. Captain Willows had his armor on, but was using a large stick as a cane. He held his wound as he moved forward.

In front of them was a large mansion, with a group of patrolling guards surrounding it. One saw the trio and approached. He had a short haircut, with brown hair and brown eyes.

"Halt. State your busin-" He stopped mid sentence when he saw the American and demi-human. "You two! You're wanted by Lord Idol Rabier for the murder of Knight Captain Franklin-"

"Willows," the captain finished, stepping forward.

"C-Captain Willows?!" He stuttered, standing at attention.

"Yeah, and I would appreciate it if you don't accuse my saviors of killing me," Willows responded. "I need to speak with Captain Simmons. They need some rest, and to talk with Lord Von Reichnott. I trust that will be taken care of."

"Y-Yessir, right at once," the knight responded, giving a salute. Captain Willows walked into the grounds of the estate, leaving the knight with the two survivors, "You two can rest in the barracks. It's not much, but it's the best I can offer."

"That's fine." Dempsey said. They went to step forward, but Raphtalia fell face first into the dirt, her legs finally giving out. Dempsey chuckled, before throwing her onto his shoulder. "You alright?" He asked.

"So, tired," She muttered.

"Don't worry, we're almost to a bed. Then you can get all the rest you want," She snuggled up in his grasp, before he followed the knight. They were taken to a large building, and led to a large room with about 15 beds.

"Just find a bed and plop down on it," the knight told them, "In the meantime, I need to find out what's going on." With that, the two were left alone.

Raphtalia was dropped onto a bed and instantly fell asleep. Dempsey didn't blame her, since she had to stay up for over 24 hours and had to see her village destroyed. He only hoped she was so tired that her mind wouldn't produce any nightmares.

Dempsey sat on the bed next to the sleeping girl, keeping his eyes open. While he didn't need sleep, it would be best if he rested his eyes. Remaining awake, he closed his eyes and he felt himself drift off into a 'half sleep' state.

"N-no," he heard, as his resting state was broken. He looked to the young girl, who was shaking. He stood up and placed his hand on her shoulder, rubbing it.

'Another nightmare,' Dempsey thought. 'The sight of seeing those dead villagers must've brought them back. God damn that bastard.'

Dempsey noticed that she had stopped shaking. She felt calm, peaceful. He remained like this for a few minutes, as her nightmare was pushed out of her mind. He felt his eyes drop.

"Ah, it appears that you two are still asleep. I'll wait for you then," Dempsey heard, breaking out of his dreamlike state. Looking at the door, the knight from earlier had arrived, with Captain Willows and a third man in tow.

This third man had darker skin, with a short haircut and no beard. He was wearing cloth clothes instead of the armor typically worn by knights.

"Dang it, Steve, you woke then up," the third man said.

"S-sorry Captain Simmons," the first knight, Steve, responded.

"Don't be so rough with him, Josh. Besides it would be best to explain the situation to Lord Reichnott with those two," Willows told Simmons. Raphtalia, at this point, woke up.

"It doesn't matter, we're up now," Dempsey said, picking himself up. Raphtalia was confused and groggy, but followed the American's example. "So, we're gonna meet this guy?" He asked.

"Lord Reichnott, yes. It would be best if you all went together, to better explain the current situation," Captain Simmons responded. "We might wish to hurry, if you would like to tell your tale over a warm meal." He said, leaving the room. Steve followed, leaving the survivors of the demi-human village alone.

"We should go. Lord Reichnott is a patient man, but you might want something to eat besides rabbit. He could also provide you with a proper bed," Willows commented, before walking out. He gestured for the two hunters to follow him, which they did.

Entering the manor, they followed the Captain as he walked through a series of hallways and into a large dining room. The long table in front of them had various types of food, which made two out of the three almost begin to drool. Looking past the delicious, tempting food, was a man sitting at the head of the table. He was wearing a purple button up shirt with a white cape. He had a head of purple hair, with a pair of small glasses resting on his face. The two knights, Simmons and Steve, were sitting at the table as well, but they had not begun to eat yet.

"Ah, good to see our guests have arrived. Come, sit. We have much to discuss," the man gestured to the open seat near him. The three looked between each other, before nodding. Dempsey and Raphtalia sat to the man's right, while Captain Willows sat directly across from the duo.

"Thank you for your hospitality, Lord Reichnott," Captain Willows told the man.

"No worries. I believe it would be best if we discussed the situation while we ate. So, dig in," Reichnott told the people at the table, who then began to fix their food. Raphtalia was about to grab the biggest thing that didn't look like a rabbit and shred it, but Dempsey halited her. He got a large turkey leg for her, and handed it over. He took the other leg. The two ate, with Dempsey making sure she ate with at least some class.

"Thank you for the food, but I believe it's best if we get down to brass tacks," Dempsey told the man, who nodded.

"Well, I believe introductions are best to start off with," Reichnott said, "I'm Lord Von Reichnott."

"Dempsey, and this is Raphtalia," Dempsey told the Lord, while gesturing to the two.

"I see. Where are you two from?"

"Raphtalia's from the village in the north. Or the place that was the village," Dempsey said, "With me, it's a bit more complicated. My home's very far away. So far, that I can barely remember it. I remember traveling to Raphtailia's village during the recent Wave. I managed to end it, and I asked to stay there and help rebuild."

"You're the man who ended the Wave?"Reichnott asked.

"Yeah."

"I see. I assume you met Raphtalia there?"

"That's right. I kinda volunteered to become her caretaker during my time. I taught her how to hunt, and some survival tactics that I learned from my home. The day after the Wave, I encountered Captain Willows, who said the land was under the control of an Idol Rabier. I assume you know him?" Dempsey asked.

"Yes, I do. Although I'm surprised that he would wish to control a village with demi-humans in it, considering his hatred of them," Reichnott commented.

"Well, let's just say his intentions were less than pure," Willows said, "Yesterday, me and my men entered the village. I believe that we were cutting through it in order to reach the next town over. However, my men rounded up the demi-humans and took the children to his estate. The adults, however, were slaughtered. I tried my damndest to stop them, but my Commander turned on me, stabbed me and left me for dead. He was planning on framing the murder on Sir Dempsey and Raphtalia, who were out hunting. They arrived at the village and saved me, before we made a plan to head here."

"According to Willows, that bastard has a dungeon full of kids. He probably gets off on torturing them," Simmons responded.

"So, gentlemen, what will we do? Obviously we can't do much, since attacking a fellow lord will result in our death," Reichnott said.

"I believe I have an idea," Dempsey brought up. "I'm a member of a group of elite knights. We're called Primis, and there's four of us. We lost each other about a day or so before the Wave, so we're all scattered. If myself, or Captain Willows were to attempt on entering the estate, we'd get killed on sight. However, the other three shouldn't be considered dangerous, even though we walk with the same symbol on our chest. I had it removed, so he probably won't recognize it. If they were to make their way here, you can inform them of this situation. They should go and try to save them."

"Could I get a description?" The lord asked.

"After we're done eating. I guess we need to find out what comes next," Dempsey told him.

"Lord Reichnott! We have a situation!" A knight said, bursting into the room.

"What is it?" He asked, standing.

"A man is being followed by a horde of monsters. He's heading to the estate. He had a staff and armor just like him," the knight informed, pointing at Dempsey. His eyes widened.

"We need to go check it out. Come on!" Dempsey ordered, as Raphtalia shot up and they left. Willows went to follow, but was stopped by his fellow captain.

"You're still injured. I'll take care of it," Simmons ordered. Willows nodded, reluctantly. Simmons followed the two, drawing his blade.

As the two hunters ran out of the mansion, they noticed a man who was surrounded by giant frogs. The frogs were about the size of a human, and came in colors ranging from brown to green to blue. There were about fifteen of them.

The man had chainmail armor on, with a cloth tunic. The symbol matched the one on Dempsey's chest. He had a pair of goggles around his neck, alongside black hair. In his hands was a single edged sword. The blade had a slight glow to it. Dempsey couldn't explain it, but it just had an aura to it.

His staff was on its back. It had the same shaft as Dempsey's lightning staff, but the head of the staff was different. The staff had a blue crystal instead of a purple one, and instead of two prongs surrounding the crystal, there were four at equal distances from each other.

"Who is that?" Raphtalia asked, as she drew her bow.

"I'm not 100 percent sure. Can't see their face. But that's one of them. Let's help them out!" He responded, as he charged, staff ready for use.

"Eat my blade, beast!" The man said, as he sliced through a frog with his sword. He spoke in an accent unknown to the raccoon girl. One flanked him, but was sent flying due to a right hook from the American.

"Weren't expecting that one, were you?" Dempsey taunted, as he striked another one.

"Wait, is that you-" the man asked, before being cut off by a frog getting shot in the head by an arrow. Turning around, he saw Raphtalia, who placed another arrow between her fingers.

"I've got you covered!" She told him, as another arrow found it's new home in the stomach of another frog.

The man shrugged, before returning to the combat. Pulling out his staff, he fired out a burst of blue energy, which slowed down a group of frogs. He fired a second blast, which caused them to be solidified in ice. He swung his staff, which caused them to shatter like glass.

"Only 6 more!" Dempsey yelled. The frog let out a burp, causing a blast of green liquid, which burned the ground and whatever it touched. Dempsey managed to dodge it, before firing his lightning staff. After two blasts, the frog went down. "These things shoot acid!" He warned.

Raphtalia kept her distance, using her bow for protecting herself. When she was in the clear, she would protect one of the two men from flankers.

As the horde cleared out, the three approached each other. Luckily, all were unharmed. The mysterious man spoke first, looking to Dempsey.

"Thank you for the assistance. I didn't reali-"

"AH!"

A scream stopped the man, as they looked to the source. A frog managed to survive and was on top of Raphtalia. She couldn't move her arms, as they were pinned under the oversized amphibian. Her head was the only thing free. It opened its mouth, as acid began to drip out. It then moved it's head back, before lunging forward, ready to drown her in acid.

"Raphtalia, NO!" Dempsey yelled, rushing to try and intervene before it fired. He could use the lightning staff, but then he risked electrocuting her, or setting that thing off like a bomb. He only hoped he could run fast enough.

Raphtalia struggled to get out of the death grip the frog had her in. She couldn't reach her knife, and her bow was useless. She resorted to flailing, and maybe she could slip out of the grip.

"Kuso!" The man swore, before drawing his blade. He dashed forward, moving so fast the eye could barely track him. He stabbed the frog through the mouth, before lifting it up off the girl. He then freed his blade by carving an opening. Using the momentum, he quickly cleaved through the frog, ending its life.

Raphtalia looked at the man who just saved her life. She was completely stunned. She let out a sigh of relief, as the American ran over. She didn't expect to see him slide next to her.

"Raphtalia, are you alright?" He asked in a panic, checking her over. She placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm fine, Mr. Dempsey. Your friend made sure of that," she reassured him. They looked to the man, who was crouched over the frog's body.

"I do not require thanks. It was my honor to help those who risked their lives for mine," he told them, standing up. He swung his blade, causing the blood to fly off of it and onto the ground. He sheathed it, before turning around. Dempsey gave a small smile.

"Good to see you, Tak."

**Thank you all for reading the chapter. I know it might've been unexpected, but the reason I'm uploading so much later is because I've been suffering from Writer's Block for Chapter 5. Since I couldn't write ****anything****, I ****changed**** my focus to two side projects that has allowed me to clear my head on the next chapter, if that makes any sense. **

**Anyways, the two side projects are The Rise of the Time Controller (A Rising of the Shield Hero fanfic that should be out in the next few days) and The Rise of a Champion (A Shield Hero/Punch Out! crossover that will come out soon). Hopefully, I'll be able to chip away at Chapter 5, then we can get a move on. **

**Thank you all for reading, and have a good day.**


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